weekend tidbits!

wow, so much has happened this weekend, and i'm so ready to share some new cards with you, and tell you a little bit about how busy i've suddenly become!

first of all, thanks to everyone who's entered my giveaway :D it's so fun to read your comments on who you'd like to give a special card to--i know i'll have a ton of fun making the card for whoever wins! if you haven't already entered, all you have to do is leave a comment on THIS POST, or just click on the "giveaway" photo in the sidebar--feel free to share this with friends! the contest ends July 17th, so don't forget...

secondly, this weekend was filled with creating, but not exactly the card-making kind. i baked some cupcakes for a my friend Paulina's surprise bday party (she just got featured on a blog--check it out!), and i also set up decorations at my church for our Vacation Bible Adventure going on this week. i was in charge of decorating the foyer in a medieval theme because the whole week is called "King's Quest." i loved coming up with ideas for the space i got to work with--i made several different "areas:"

• a weapon's wall (brown butcher paper with a sweet flag on the wall and knives made by my brother Joey hanging REALLY high above the ground),


• a couple of castle windows opening up to outdoor scenes,


• an indoor eating area complete with a *REAL* deer's head, some sweet stained glass windows (melted crayon between 2 pieces of wax paper), candelabra, old books, etc.,


• an outdoor "camp" area with a maple sapling branch freshly cut and made to look like a full tree, plus a cool campfire with old metal pot, and even arrows stuck in the tree trunk :D,


• a tournament tent--you know the ones with the stripes that knights used to keep their armor and supplies in while they were jousting, etc? yeah--really cool!


• lastly, a stand-alone CASTLE. it's a hexagon shape made out of a huge refrig. box. i cut out the windows and drawbridge, as well as the balcony window on Thursday, and made the stained glass that night at home. i painted the castle gray, and then added the stone/ brick detail with a sharpie and some shading later. isn't that a cool porticullis? i have a balcony with *curtains* even on the backside (replete with vines!), as well as little flags flying from the turret. this castle has about 20 windows, and just about all of them have some light pouring out from them because i positioned a floodlight in the middle of the castle pointing up so that the windows would catch light... you can tell in the picture below. oh, don't forget the moat! i also attached a drawbridge chain after the picture was taken, and made the bridge to look like it had planks...

whew, that took so much time, and i had a lot of help, but let me tell you--designing that castle and seeing it come to fruition was SO NEAT. i danced for joy when i saw what the light did for the windows... literally :D (speaking of VBA--i got to tell my first story of the week today, and it went so well! i got to tell the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, which you can find here :D i loved seeing the kids sitting with rapt attention listening to me make a fool of myself...)

next, i got nominated for a blog award! this comes from my sweet sister (so does it really count?) but it makes me smile and feel loved :D she's really a great blogger, and if you haven't checked out her hilarious (and random) ramblings about life (or the GIVEAWAYS!) then you really should... go HERE to do so. i'll pass on the award as soon as i get some more of my wits about me... thanks Cece!

lastly, let's get onto the card... this is one i made for my cousin's wife (so does that make her my cousin-in-law? tehee!) who is expecting in August. my sister and i are sending her a little gift package, and my end of the bargain was to make a set of thank you cards, of which this is one design:

i LOVE the velvet ribbon, and i am sooo glad i bought this swirl/ stiching stamp from Impress a while ago--it's gotten so much use :D i think that although this card is simple, it really does the trick, and i know Marcella will love it. i made a similar card using red velvet and red pearls but with the same design. ooh, and don't you LOVE that DeNami Design sentiment? they recently came out with a new line of stamps and *buttons*, and you really should check them out.

well, that's it for today! don't forget about the giveaway, and thanks so much for looking... i'd love to know what you think about the castle (it's my little creative baby... i might post more pictures later--BEWARE :D haha) or about the card...

have a wonderful Monday!